Game apparatus.



W. E. ROBB.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.24, 191a.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Hen

@JFM' WILLIAM E. ROBB, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed February 24, 1913.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VILLIAM E. RoBB, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Oil City, in the county of Yenango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a game apparatus, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a game apparatus somewhat in the form of a puzzle that will afford considerable amusement to juveniles and at the same time require considerable skill and patience on the part of an adult to correctly play the game or solve the puzzle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus or puzzle that will afford considerable amusement to those interested in base ball in so much that the game apparatus or puzzle embodies certain principles of a base ball game, namely, that of the operator or manipulator of the game apparatus being able to move players about the bases of a field without the players being tagged or touched by the basemen.

A further object of this invention is to provide a game apparatus or puzzle consisting of comparatively few parts that are easily and quickly assembled, manufactured at a comparatively small cost and readily carried in the pocket whereby it can be manipulated in spare moments.

I attain the above and other objects by a mechanical construction that will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure l is a plan of the game apparatus or puzzle. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 1.

A game apparatus or puzzle in accordance with this invention comprises a rectangular box or structure 1 which has the side walls thereof, adjacent to the upper edges, provided with inwardly projecting ribs or cleats 2, and seated upon said cleats is a transparent top plate 4. The top plate 1 is retained upon the cleats 2 by a rectangular frame 3, which is secured to the top of the box 1 by screws 5 or other fastening means.

At one end of the box 1 there is a trans- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 191 3.

Serial No. 750,458.

verse partition 6 dividing the box into compartments 7 and 8. The compartment 7 serves as a container or bench for players 9 in the form of spherical bodies or marbles. Easy access is had to the compartment 7 through the medium of an opening 10 in the transparent top plate 4 and in order that the players 9 can be shifted to the compartment 8, the transparent top plate 4 has another opening 11 in communication with the opening 10.

Within the compartment 8 there is substantially a rectangular housing having ver tical side walls 12 that cooperate with the walls of the box 1 in providing a runway 13. At the juncture of the walls 12 there are alcoves or pockets 14 adapted to accommodate spherical bodies 15 representing the basemen. The spherical bodies are of a greater diameter than the players 9 but do not interfere with the passage of the runway 13 when the basemen are in their respective position.

Printed or otherwise marked upon the inner side of the bottom of the box 1, at the juncture of the side walls of said box, are bases 16, representing the first, second and third bases of a baseball diamond. Directly beneath the opening 11, the box is provided with the word Home, representing the home base.

The object of the game apparatus or puzzle is to place the players 9 in the compartment 8 and move them about the runway 13, without the basemen 15 touching the players 9. To accomplish this, it is necessary to manipulate and shift the box 1, whereby the players 9 will be moved by gravity around the runway 13, but in moving the players 9, care must be taken to retain the basemen 15 within the alcoves or pockets 14, otherwise the basemen are liable to contact with the players 9 and consequently a fresh or new effort be made to move a player around the runway 13.

A great many of the rules that apply to an ordinary baseball team can be applied to'the game apparatus or puzzle herein described, for instance, it may be necessary for one person to move a predetermined number of players around the runway 13, before another person can manipulate the box 1, with the same object in view.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that I have devised a novel game apparatus and puzzle that can be readily used for advertising purposes, and while in the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible of such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

hat I claim is l. A game apparatus comprising a box, a transparent plate forming the top of said box, a transverse partition arranged at one end of said box and providing two compartments, said top plate having openings formed therein whereby easy access is had to the compartments of said box, spherical bodies in one of said compartments, a housing aJranged in the other of said compartments and having vertical walls providing a runway, said housing having pockets at the juncture of the Walls thereof, and spherical bodies movably arranged in the pockets of said housing and a greater diameter than the first mentioned spherical bodies.

2. A game apparatus and puzzle comprising a box, a partition arranged in said box and dividing said box into a small and a large compartment, spherical bodies arranged in said small compartment and adapted to be placed in said large compartment, a housing arranged in the large compartment of said box and having vertical walls providing a runway, said housing hav ing the walls thereof provided with pockets, and spherical bodies movably arranged in the pockets of said housing and adapted to be retained therein during a movement of the first mentioned spherical bodies in said runway.

3. A game apparatus comprising a box, a housing arranged in said box and having vertical walls providing pockets and a runway in proximity to the Walls of said box, spherical bodies movably arranged in the pockets of said housing and adapted to be retained therein, and spherical bodies adapted to be moved throughout said run- 1 h testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM E. ROBB.

' WVitnesses:

A. J. SCHWEDHELM, D. A. SLEEMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

